Unexpected Surprises
by chrisevefan
Summary: Antonio faces a life without love when an unexpected arrival comes to town and turns his world upside down. (Possible PC-crossover)
1. Default Chapter

It was one hell of a night for a storm--at least that's what they were all saying, but now as Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald sat in solitude on the lonely pier, he realized that the darkness was perhaps the only place to find comfort on a night like this. Even now as he thought of the fool he'd become, his heart ached inside at the knowledge that all the time he'd love Sheridan and wanted to have a future with her, that her heart had never belonged to him. It was always Luis that she'd wanted--Luis that she'd loved and he'd just been the obstacle on their road to happily ever after. Even now as he thought about it, he'd wanted to kick himself for being so foolish--to think that he'd had a chance at winning her heart over. Maybe the world was right--maybe love was nothing more than a myth--a fairy tale that the world used to keep those hopes alive when the sad truth that there was nothing more around the corner.   
  
  
  
Now as a sigh spilled over Antonio's lips, he wondered if he'd ever really find a way to get over what he'd believed he'd had in Sheridan. If only he'd picked up on the clues sooner, he frowned realizing that time and time again the truth about where her heart was had been in front of his face, yet he was blinded by love--blinded by what might've been. Though as he thought to the reality of the situation, there never was a what might've been as Sheridan's heart was never his. Looking to the stars above, he began to wonder if Harmony truly had a place for him anymore. While he had his family here, seeing Sheridan and Luis lost in their newlywed bliss was enough to tear him apart inside as a sigh spilled over his lips. If only things hadn't turned out the way they had…  
  
  
  
"Quit feeling sorry for yourself," Antonio frowned letting his thoughts get the best of them as he lifted the frosted bottle he'd been holding up to his lips again taking a long, hard swig as the liquid burned going down his throat. It seemed that he'd wound up in this position all too often and as the alcohol burned through him, he realized that drinking wasn't going to make this situation any better. Now as he turned his attention to the bottle in hand, he chastised himself once again before tossing the bottle away, now vowing to find a way out of his misery somehow.  
  
  
  
As Antonio rose from the shadows he'd buried himself in, he turned to the night ready to face whatever came his way as he had a lifetime of this to get adjusted to without Sheridan. Shaking his head as he vowed never to let love get the best of him again, Antonio headed away from the water ready to put the evening behind him when a sound erupted through the night breaking through his thoughts.  
  
  
  
"Get your hands off of me," a woman shrieked as Antonio turned around to see a couple of figures masked behind the shadows of the night. He heard the woman cry out once again as her companion seemed to be ignoring her words.   
  
  
  
Frowning as the situation began to unfold, Antonio marched forward knowing that he wouldn't be able to walk away doing nothing when the woman clearly needed some assistance. Standing taller, he approached the scene bracing himself for the situation at hand as he took in a slow breath, "Is there a problem here?"  
  
  
The man before him released the woman as his gaze rose up towards Antonio as if contemplating the threat Antonio posed to the situation, "You'd be best suited to leave right about now. This doesn't concern you," the man warned.  
  
  
  
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Antonio replied shaking his head as he looked to the dark haired woman before him, "Are you alright, maam?"  
  
  
"I was before this jerk showed up," she answered sharply as she took a step away from the man beside her.  
  
  
  
"I see," Antonio looked to the man once again, eyeing him carefully, "Perhaps it would be best if you took to leaving right about now."  
  
  
The man opened his mouth as if to reply before stopping himself and turning to the woman once again, "This isn't over."  
  
  
"Oh yes it is," she answered sharply as the man took off down the pier leaving her to the darkness with Antonio. She stood frozen for a moment before shaking her head discouraged, "Well this is just wonderful," she grumbled under her breath.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you're okay," Antonio questioned again wondering if the woman was even aware of his presence as she finally turned her eyes towards him.  
  
  
  
"Do I look like I'm okay," she questioned with an air of sarcasm as she stepped out of the shadows revealing her face to him as Antonio took in a breath surprisingly taken by her beauty. While he was certain he'd planned on giving up on women all together, there was something about this woman in particular--something in the darkness of her brown eyes, in the way her hair gently blew with the breeze around her face caressing the soft contours of her skin.  
  
  
  
"Actually…" Antonio began realizing he must've been staring as her eyes glanced up at his impatiently.  
  
  
  
"You weren't really supposed to answer that one," she remarked offhandedly shaking her head at him, "and as much fun as this has been, I have to get going."  
  
  
"So soon," he blurted out unable to believe the words had fallen from his lips as he reached out to her, "I mean are you alright? I saw you with that man before and you seemed upset…"  
  
  
  
"I'm fine," she answered sharply, "though I'm not any closer to getting what I wanted out of that jerk."  
  
  
"You mean you meant to come into contact with him," Antonio's eyes widened in surprise, "As in that meeting was on purpose?"  
  
  
"Unfortunately," she nodded with a sigh, "I was hoping that in Harmony I might find a private investigator who might be worth the money I was paying him, but that jerk wasn't worth a dime…"  
  
  
"A private investigator," Antonio repeated eyeing her curiously, "and just what is it exactly that you were seeking out a private investigator for if you don't mind me asking?"  
  
  
"What are you," she gave him a brief perusal, "A cop?"  
  
  
"No," he shrugged his shoulders, "Just curious. That's all."  
  
  
"I see," she eyed him closely before speaking up again, "well, not that it's any of your business, but I was hoping to have someone help me with…" she stopped herself as she took a step away from him, "never mind. It doesn't matter anymore."  
  
  
"Of course it matters," he reached out to her touching her arm briefly before withdrawing, "I mean if you need some kind of help, then maybe I can be of assistance."  
  
  
"Unless you're a private investigator or you know a good place to get a drink in this town, then I'm afraid you won't be of any help to me," she sighed shaking her head as her dark hair pooled around her features.  
  
  
  
"Well I'm afraid I'm not a private investigator, but I might be able to help you with that drink," he suggested flashing her a smile, "that is if you're interested."  
  
  
"Hmm, that all depends," she gave him another perusal as the first hint of a smile touched over her lips.  
  
  
  
"Oh?" he lifted a curious brow noting the expression on her face as a sudden warmth washed over him. Clearly he had to have had too much to drink as he'd never immediately reacted to a woman--not even when he'd found Sheridan the first time, but still there was just something about the lovely lady before him.  
  
  
  
"That's right," she nodded simply.  
  
  
  
"And what might it depend on?" he asked feeling a nervous rush pass through him as he realized that suddenly he never wanted to get a drink more than he did right now with this beauty before him. That in itself caused him to challenge his own firm notions about romance as he found himself growing more curious by the moment about what it was her terms were.  
  
  
  
"On whether or not you're buying," she flashed him a bright smile as she tilted her head to look him over once again, "So what do you say? Care to buy me a drink?"  
  
  
"With a smile like that," he extended his arm out towards her surprised and delighted that she'd accepted as she curled her arm around his, "how can I refuse?"  
  
  
"That's the beauty of it," she eased her arm around his as she stepped towards him, "You can't," she grinned allowing him to take her somewhere quiet for a drink as Antonio realized his luck had taken a sudden shift for the better it would seem.  
  
************  
  
"So tell me," Antonio began stretching out on his side of the booth he and his lady companion settled into moments earlier, "what brings you to Harmony…other than looking for the perfect man that is," he winked over at her finding himself playfully flirtatious as her cheeks grew flushed with color.  
  
  
  
"Honestly," she sipped her drink before leaning back a bit in her seat, "it's a rather complicated tale."  
  
  
"And I'm just the kind of uncomplicated person to share it with," Antonio urged with a playful wink, "so lay it on me."  
  
  
"Persistent aren't you," she hinted at a laugh as she circled the rim of her glass with her index finger, "Well truth be told, I'm looking for my sister."  
  
  
"Your sister?" he repeated curiously, "Does she live in Harmony?"  
  
  
"So I've been told," she sighed running her fingers through her dark hair, "though I've yet to find her."  
  
  
"What's her name," he inquired watching the way her lips curled in a scowl as she breathed her words, "maybe I know her."  
  
  
"I don't think so," she shook her head simply, "If you had, then you and I probably wouldn't be having this casual of a conversation with one another."  
  
  
"Really, and why is that?" he lifted a curious brow.  
  
  
  
"Because you would've thought I was her," she confessed with a hint of a smile and a shrug of her shoulders, "It's a common mistake that's made between us, but truth be told I'm nothing like her."  
  
  
"Hmm, well in that case, I'd have to say I was fortunate to have found you this evening because I happen to think I'm in with good company," he replied a smile teasing over his handsome features as he leaned forward a bit taking in her chocolate eyes.  
  
  
  
"Flattery now huh?" she lifted a curious brow as she leaned forward reciprocating the gesture he'd made, "You must be feeling hopeful about tonight."  
  
  
"What can I say," he winked back at her, "I thought I was going to be miserable tonight, but suddenly here you are and things are looking up it would seem."  
  
  
"So it would appear," she smiled at him brushing her finger tip against his in a brief, but lingering movement as a flood of laughter rushed through the small pub breaking through their moment of flirting.  
  
  
  
"Oh Luis," a woman bellowed with laughter as Antonio's eyes darted immediately over to the happy couple over at the bar. Suddenly on edge, he shifted in his seat realizing he'd spoken too soon about the turn his night had taken.  
  
  
  
"You know them," his companion questioned breaking through his thoughts as his eyes turned back to her once again.  
  
  
  
Antonio nodded in confession, "That's my brother and my ex-wife."  
  
  
"Your brother and your ex?" she repeated her eyes widening with surprise, "And I thought my life was complicated," she shook her head as she noted the way his gaze traveled back over towards the bar, "So how long have you two been apart?"  
  
  
"Not long," he shrugged his shoulders trying to focus on the moment between them, "She and my brother are happy together."  
  
  
"Somehow I get the feeling that their happiness was at your expense, huh," she stated watching him intently, "That always does pose as a problem, doesn't it?"  
  
  
"Sheridan's happy now," Antonio blurted out trying to forget the way his heart had felt torn in two upon her leaving him to be with Luis, "that's all that matters."  
  
  
"Hardly," his companion blurted out shaking her head at him, "You really expect me to believe that seeing them together makes you feel wonderful?"  
  
  
"I didn't say that it made me feel wonderful, but I'm not going to cause them trouble either," Antonio explained simply turning his attention back to his companion once again.  
  
  
  
"It looks like you don't have a choice in the matter as they seem to be coming over with trouble for you," she motioned to the duo as they'd spotted Antonio over at the table.   
  
  
  
Now as Antonio's eyes fell upon Sheridan and Luis he felt his heart skip a beat as he realized that this would never be easy for him. Somehow this was going to be the hardest part, but as he took in a breath he prepared himself for the inevitable meeting between his brother and Sheridan.  
  
  
  
"Antonio," Sheridan greeted him politely as her smile breezed through him reminding him of their time together, "I didn't expect to see you here."  
  
  
"Sheridan," he forced a smile trying to ignore the awkward feeling inside of him as he greeted her, "I didn't think you'd be back in Harmony so soon."  
  
  
"Luis and I had to cut the honeymoon short," she explained simply, "but now that we're home, we're hoping to get a few moments together before the real world sets in."  
  
  
"I'm sure," Antonio's eyes cast over in his brother's direction as he fought to suppress the resentment he'd harbored still after the loss.  
  
  
  
"Antonio," Luis nodded casually.  
  
  
  
"Luis," Antonio offered feeling his fingers clench at the very sight of Sheridan and Luis so happy with one another. It brought back all the memories, all the feelings of foolishness, but before he could let his thoughts get the best of him, a voice broke through.  
  
  
  
"Antonio," his companion spoke his name as she leaned forward reaching for his hand offering a light squeeze, "darling, aren't you going to introduce me?"  
  
  
"I um…" Antonio began realizing he and his companion hadn't bothered with formalities in exchanging names, but now as she flashed him a flirty smile, he immediately wished he'd taken the liberty of asking her name.  
  
  
  
"Oh don't be shy," she shook her head as a giggle spilled over her lips, "I mean honestly, we're all practically family it would seem," she turned her attention to Sheridan, "I'm Shelly. Shelly Lambert."  
  
  
"It's a pleasure," Sheridan shook her hand politely.  
  
  
  
"Likewise," Shelly nodded flashing Sheridan a bright smile, "and you must be Luis. Antonio has told me so much about you both."  
  
  
"Has he," Luis offered a skeptic look.  
  
  
  
"Indeed," Shelly nodded as she rose from the booth, "though I must confess, I didn't imagine we'd all be running into one another tonight, did you Antonio?"  
  
  
"No I hadn't," Antonio answered wondering what his companion was up to as she extended her arm out towards him.  
  
  
  
"You still owe me a dance, remember," she winked down at him before tossing her hair over her shoulder as she smiled back at Sheridan and Luis, "Antonio is such an amazing dancer and I'd just hate to let the moment pass us by when they're playing our song."  
  
  
  
"Your song," Luis gave his brother a strange look, "Really?"  
  
  
"That's right," Antonio nodded playing along as he rose from his side of the booth, "and I'd better get going to it, huh?"  
  
  
"You bet you should," Shelly winked back at him, "but it was nice meeting the both of you."  
  
  
  
Antonio followed Shelly's lead out into the center of the dance floor wondering what had inspired such a bold move on her part as she wrapped her arms around him smiling up at him as her fingers fanned over the center of his chest.  
  
  
  
"Care to explain that one?" Antonio questioned a smile tapering off over his lips.  
  
  
  
"I owed you one," she replied glancing over in the direction of Sheridan and Luis, "So now we're even."  
  
  
"Is that how it works," he asked fighting the laughter building up inside of him as he spun her around on the dance floor.  
  
  
  
"Well, we're almost even," she decided ceasing movement as she reached out to him drawing him in against her as she pressed her mouth against his in a surprising, passionate display.   
  
  
  
Shelly's arms curled around his neck curling him in closer to her as her lips beckoned him into her tasting the sweetness of her kiss as Antonio couldn't held but reciprocate the gesture. He hugged her closer surprised at how easy it was to lose himself in this beautiful stranger's kiss, but still as the warmth of her flooded through his body bringing his every synapse to life again, he continued to squeeze her against him suddenly not wanting this moment to end. He'd wanted to share this perfect, savory kiss forever, but as Shelly pulled back breathless he saw the spark of playfulness behind her eyes as a smile curled over her features.  
  
  
  
"Now we're even," she whispered throwing her arms around him as she motioned towards where Sheridan and Luis were standing both watching with surprise evident in their features as Antonio hugged Shelly closer to him. Somehow what started out as an evening of misery had transpired into something more, and as he held Shelly dancing to the music with her, he wondered if perhaps fate had something more in store for him. Something that he'd never imagined before this moment in time. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
"You know," Antonio began breaking through the lingering silence between him and Shelly as the band finished their latest set onstage. The jukebox slowly replaced the melodic beats changing the tone that had prompted Shelly to bring him out onto the dance floor to begin with, "it would appear that fate is telling us that our dance fever is about to be cut short."  
  
  
"Only if you are feeling worn out," she squeezed her arms around his muscled torso offering up a playful wink, "but truth be told, I'm not through with you yet."  
  
  
"No?" he lifted a curious brow as she smiled up at him.  
  
  
  
"Not by a long shot," Shelly promised with a sinfully wicked grin sweeping over her beautiful features, "but I suppose we can put dancing on hold for a few minutes before I really start wearing you out."  
  
  
"So this is a prelude of things to come," Antonio reasoned surprised at how easy flirting with her turned out to be as he winked down at her, "because I should probably warn you that once you get me started, I'm pretty insatiable."  
  
  
"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind when we get back to the table and have the eyes of your brother and the woman with him upon us," Shelly leaned in towards him, stepping up on her toes as she collected his lips in a teasing nip tugging on his lower lip as her fingers slid into his dark hair coaxing his lips into sweet surrender as she let out a faint murmur, "So what do you say?"  
  
  
  
"I don't understand why you're doing this," he blurted out as his arm curled around her crushing her soft curves against him as he found himself hating to let go of such a moment, "but truth be told, I am enjoying this very much."  
  
  
"Of course you are," she breathed in a throaty whisper, "and I wouldn't want you to have it any other way."  
  
  
"Still…" he began as she slipped out of his reach lacing their fingers together as she guided them towards the table. Somehow this mysterious, beautiful woman had inspired an optimism in him that he was certain that he wouldn't be feeling again in this lifetime. Now as she lead him across the pub, he half wondered just how far he'd follow her as the taste of her still lingered upon his life. Tonight was most certainly looking up he reasoned. Then again, as he cast a glance over at the corner booth were Luis and Sheridan had sat down to enjoy a romantic moment, he realized that perhaps this was a lesson in torture at the same time.  
  
  
  
"Forget about them," Shelly urged as she took her seat across from him at the table. He reluctantly dropped in across from her sliding more comfortably into the booth, "They really aren't worth it."  
  
  
"How can you be so sure?" Antonio questioned as she casually glanced over in their direction.  
  
  
  
"Well for starters any woman with eyes can see who the real prize in the family is," Shelly confessed with a hint of a smile as her dark eyes swept over him in a very appreciative perusal.  
  
  
  
"Yeah Luis," Antonio frowned thinking about the way life had taken him down the quickest path to misery as fate had managed to have him wind up in love with a woman who'd wanted nothing more than to be with his brother.  
  
  
  
"Wrong Sparky," Shelly shook her head at him scowling at his words, "You've got so much more going for you than he does and hey if Blondie can't see that, well her loss is my gain."  
  
  
"Now you're flattering me," Antonio watched as she brushed her finger tip over the top of his hand in an intimate gesture.  
  
  
  
"Why would I need to?" she arched a perfectly sculpted brow, "I just call it like I see it. That's how it works with me Sparky."  
  
  
"What's with Sparky," he frowned leaning in towards her as their eyes connected.  
  
  
  
"You don't like it," her full lips curled in a mock pout, "and here I was hoping we'd reached a point in our relationship where pet names were appropriate."  
  
  
"That all depends," Antonio suppressed the urge to smile as he sought out her hand lacing their fingers together.  
  
  
  
"On what?"  
  
  
  
"Well, on whether or not this works both ways," he answered simply, "I mean if I'm Sparky, then well, I would imagine that it would be fair play for me to give you some kind of pet name although I suppose that would be moving a bit fast considering that I only learned your real name less than an hour ago."  
  
  
"Hmm, that would be kind of pushing the limits there on this relationship early on," she pretended to think it over, "but I suppose that a nickname couldn't hurt if and only if I approve."  
  
  
"Now wait just a minute," Antonio gave her a sideways glance, "I'm Sparky and I didn't get a say in that."  
  
  
"I'm a woman," Shelly answered with a hint of laughter in her voice, "and it's my prerogative to have a say in what terms of endearment you bring my way."  
  
  
"But Sparky is something I'm just stuck with because that's the way the cards fell," he shook his head at her, "I hardly see the fairness in that."  
  
  
"Well that's the beauty of it," she eased across her seat sliding out of the booth as she rose from the table just long enough to slide in beside him making herself comfortable, "I seldom play fair."  
  
  
"I have a feeling I'm getting into a whole new world of trouble with you, aren't I," he questioned as she eased her arm out over the back of the booth, sliding her fingers over his shoulder as she batted her eyelashes up at him.  
  
  
  
"Somehow I get the feeling that I'm just the kind of trouble you need in your life," she answered confidently as she tilted her eyes up towards him.  
  
  
  
"I'd have to say the verdict isn't out on that one just yet," Antonio confessed a broad smile sweeping over him as his fingers teased through her dark hair.  
  
  
  
"Hmm, well let's see if we can work on changing that," she suggested leaning up towards him capturing his mouth in a barely there, seductive hint of temptation. His fingers fanned out over her cheekbone tasting the warmth of her against his mouth as she let out a soft murmur leaving one last lingering moment of passion between them before she pulled away from him with a confident smile, "Well?"  
  
  
"Luscious," he offered in a low whisper.  
  
  
  
"Luscious," she repeated in confusion as his index finger brushed up against her silken skin.  
  
  
  
"That's what I'll call you," Antonio nodded in confession, "because that's what you are."  
  
  
A tiny bubble of laughter swept over her as she slid in closer to him, "And you're drunk, aren't you?"  
  
  
"Not as drunk as you think I am, though I suppose right about now that would be a good enough excuse to use for my inappropriate behavior huh," he paused lifting his finger from her cheek as he drew in a breath, "I'm not usually like this."  
  
  
"I'm not complaining," Shelly reached for his hand placing it against her face once again, "and right about now, I think you're doing beautiful here."  
  
  
"You're the beautiful one," Antonio blurted out unable to believe that he'd found himself in this position. Somehow this night was anything but a typical night in the life of Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald and even now as he looked to the beauty before him thinking of the ways in which he'd been flirting shamelessly with her, he realized that this wasn't the life he'd been living. This ease at which this situation with her unfolded was the most atypical thing that he'd ever come across in his lifetime and yet in the same instant it felt strangely wonderful.  
  
  
  
"I'll bet that Blondie over there is thinking about what she gave up," Shelly offered leaning in towards him as she motioned towards the table that Luis and Sheridan were seated at, "They can't seem to keep their eyes off of us."  
  
  
"I think that's got something to do with you," Antonio confessed his voice a whisper as he tried to be casual in taking a look at Luis and Sheridan.  
  
  
  
"It's got everything to do with you," she argued with him, "I mean I'm sure finding you with someone else was the last thing they expected right about now, huh?"  
  
  
"Honestly," seriousness fell over his tone as he thought of the situation he'd found himself in lately, "I don't think they imagined I'd be in anything but misery and truth be told, I figured I'd spend a lifetime there once I lost Sheridan."  
  
  
"Sheridan," Shelly repeated, "So that's the name of the woman who made perhaps one of the biggest mistakes in the world."  
  
  
"She's an incredible woman and if you stay in Harmony long enough you'll find that the biggest mistake she made was me," Antonio sighed painfully as he slumped back in his seat.  
  
  
  
"So what happened?" Shelly inquired.  
  
  
  
"Luis is her soul mate," he turned his attention to the drink before him plucking it up from the table top and dropping back the cool liquid finishing off the drink before looking back to her, "I just got in the way."  
  
  
"Hmm, well maybe that was fate trying to tell you that you were the one making a mistake," she shrugged her shoulders repositioning herself beside him, "I mean why would you want a woman that was clearly incapable of loving a man like you? Where I come from, most women would love to find their own handsome hero waiting in the wings. Come to think of it that kind of man is more of a myth than reality."  
  
  
"So where is it that you come from exactly," he questioned turning the focus off of himself and his misery.  
  
  
  
"Minnesota," she answered with a bit of a frown, "at least part of the time, but I've been pretty much everywhere in my lifetime. New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Port Charles…"  
  
  
"And what prompted the visit to Harmony," he questioned in a bit of a slur, "I mean other than your sister of course."  
  
  
"My sister is the one reason I'm here," her eyes narrowed as a frown touched over her lips, "I have to find her."  
  
  
"Which brings us back to what we were talking about before," Antonio thought to their introductions, "You said that you hired that jerk to help you find her."  
  
  
"Something like that," she nodded.  
  
  
  
"And your last name is Lambert and I would assume that she has the same name…unless of course she's married," Antonio reasoned.  
  
  
  
"She was married," Shelly confessed as a darkness shadowed over her beautiful features, "once upon a time…"  
  
  
"You don't sound too happy about that," Antonio noted, "I take it you have a less than savory tale to tell as well."  
  
  
"Let's just say that my sister threw her life away on the wrong men," Shelly offered with a huff, "She followed around the silly notions of soul mates and love for eternity and it wound up destroying her. She had it all and she lost it all because she fell in love with the wrong man. She gave him her heart completely and in the end, she was left with nothing but misery…"  
  
  
"That's something I relate to," Antonio confessed with a sigh before adding, "well not that giving my heart to another man because I'm not like that as you can see…" he teased.  
  
  
  
A smile touched over her lips as she spoke up once again, "I'd be highly disappointed if that was the case about you and another man as I had such plans for us," she teased unable to resist the urge, "I'd hate to lose you that early on Sparky."  
  
  
"I don't think that will be a problem, well except for this whole Sparky thing…the name's Antonio," he explained simply.  
  
  
  
"Well Antonio, the way I see it, you and I found each other at the right time and maybe this can work for the both of us," she turned her attention back to Luis and Sheridan once again, "I mean we're both searching for something that's missing, right?"  
  
  
"I'm not searching for anything other than peace of mind," he answered giving her a strange look.  
  
  
  
"I think you want more than that," Shelly contemplated the sadness behind his eyes, "I think you want the world to see you for what you are and maybe for them to realize that perhaps there's more to you than what they saw…"  
  
  
"I really could care less because none of that matters anymore…"  
  
  
"Liar," she blurted out giving him a disbelieving look, "You want to show Sheridan as much as I do that she gave up a good thing in her life. Sure you wouldn't want to have her back, but at the same time a part of you wants her to see that she could've had the world with you."  
  
  
"I never said that," he objected.  
  
  
  
"I can see it in your eyes and hey, it's fine by me. In fact the way I see it, happiness is the sweetest revenge…"  
  
  
"Now wait just a second," he frowned down at her, "I'm not looking for revenge against anyone. That's not my thing."  
  
  
"Fine," she shrugged her shoulders up at him, "then how about taking me home with you? Is that your kind of thing?"   
  
  
  
"Are you always this forward with the men in your life," he blinked back in surprise.  
  
  
  
"Only when I see a good man who needs some excitement in his life," she wrapped her arms around him easing herself into his lap, "and you Antonio are in desperate need of some excitement."  
  
  
"Look tonight's been fun, but I'm not usually…" he started as she leaned in closer to him.  
  
  
  
"I need someone. You were right about my needing to find the right man in Harmony," she confessed her voice barely a whisper, "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to need someone like you if I even stand a chance of finding my sister again."  
  
  
"So this is about your search for your sister," he deducted thinking it over, "All this flirting has been a ploy to coax me into helping you on your search?"  
  
  
"Not exactly," she tossed her dark hair over her shoulders, "I'm doing this for your own good, but beyond that, well I need to have someone around who knows this town and more so someone that isn't a sleazebag who's buried up to his eyeballs in his own agenda. I'm tired of going that route and this time, well I think you might be just the help I need."  
  
  
  
"I'm not a private investigator remember," Antonio pointed out as he eased his hands around her slender waist, "although I must confess that the idea of spending more time with you is rather tempting."  
  
  
  
"Good because I'm tempted to keep you around for a little while as well, Sparky," she teased in a sinfully wicked tone as her lips hovered in over his.  
  
  
  
"Shelly I…" he began as she bridged the distance between them devouring his mouth in a hungry kiss once again taking him by surprise. Now as he held her feeling the warmth of her savory curves against him, he realized he'd never reacted to readily to a woman as Shelly was temptation in ways he'd never dreamt possible. They knew nothing more than the basics at best about each other, but in kissing her, well, he'd realized far more about her than he'd ever imagined when he'd stepped in on the pier. She was passionate, intense and certainly would no doubt be a very demanding lover…at least he would imagine by the intensity of her kisses. His hands curved around her hips impressing her lines in his mind as he heard a very distinct sound coming from beside them.  
  
  
  
"Uhm," the sound continued as Antonio reluctantly tore himself away from Shelly finding Luis standing beside the table scrutinizing the situation for a long moment, "Everything alright here?"  
  
  
"Everything's just fine," Shelly offered dragging her finger over her lower lip as she shifted in Antonio's lap, "and you?"  
  
  
"Sheridan and I were just on our way out, but I thought I'd come over and have a word with you both," his voice was a bit uneasy as he looked between the two of them, "I don't mean to sound rude here, but I really wasn't aware that you were seeing someone…"  
  
  
"I guess there's a lot you don't know about me, Luis," Antonio answered tightly feeling the old feelings of jealousy and bitterness sweep over him, "then again I suppose that should come as no surprise to you considering the year we've gone through."  
  
  
"Look," Luis scowled back at him, "Sheridan and I were just trying to do the right thing. We never intended to hurt you by our love. We just hoped that one day you'd understand that when two people are destined to be together…"  
  
  
"He understands," Shelly eased her hand over Antonio's chest in a tender gesture, "and I can assure you that he's never been happier. Isn't that right?"  
  
  
"That's right," Antonio agreed with a nod, "Shelly's given me a new outlook on life."  
  
  
"Well good," Luis offered still skeptical as he focused on the brunette on his brother's lap, "Still, I'm just so surprised that no one has heard of the two of you yet…"  
  
  
"I just flew into town a short while ago," Shelly explained brightly, "and when I'd heard that Antonio was free again, well I knew that I'd found the right moment to snag him up. You have no idea how long I've waited to find a way into his heart again. Just thinking about how close we came to losing it all, well," she smiled brightly, "I guess you can say that destiny has a way of working itself out."  
  
  
"So you two knew each other from before?" Luis probed further.  
  
  
  
"What's with the twenty questions Luis?" Antonio scowled up at him.  
  
  
  
"I was just getting a feel for the situation. That's all," Luis answered as Sheridan approached the trio.  
  
  
  
"What situation," she inquired looking down at Antonio and Shelly. Her smile faded a bit as she noticed the obvious display of affection between the two of them.   
  
  
  
"Antonio was just telling me about him and Shelly here," Luis admitted wrapping his arm around his wife, "It seems it's quite serious."  
  
  
"Really?" Sheridan's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
  
  
"Very serious," Shelly nodded in confession turning her attention to Antonio, "Should we tell them?"  
  
  
"Tell us what?" Sheridan questioned in confusion.  
  
  
  
"Oh I don't know," Antonio began a bit uneasily as he tried to read the expression on Shelly's face, "they really don't want to sit around and hear this considering they have to get home to their family and…"  
  
  
  
"Oh nonsense," Shelly dismissed his words as she looked back to the happy couple, "You know how he is. He never wants to brag about things like this, especially when you both are so happy and in your moment together…"  
  
  
"Things like what?" Luis gave her a strange look, "What's the story, Antonio?"  
  
  
"Well Shelly and I," Antonio started looking to Shelly for some help as she smiled brightly.  
  
  
  
"Are engaged," she finished cheerfully.  
  
  
  
"You're what?" Sheridan's jaw dropped in surprise.  
  
  
  
"We're getting married," Shelly added enthusiastically, "I mean we were waiting to share it with the family, but now that you're here, well we couldn't just keep a lid on it, could we?"  
  
  
"No we couldn't," Antonio offered struggling to find the words as he glanced up at Sheridan and Luis wondering if they believed the lie that had fallen from Shelly's lips.  
  
  
  
"Well this is quite a surprise," Luis folded his arms in front of his chest, "One that I'm sure the family would love to hear all about. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize that if you're just breaking the news to us now, then you'd probably be best to share the news with everyone else…like say this weekend at the welcome home party Theresa is throwing for Sheridan and I."  
  
  
"Oh I don't know if we can make it to the party considering," Antonio began suddenly on edge as he realized that meeting Shelly had gone from wonderful and exciting to something that he was certain was way over his head.  
  
  
  
"Oh don't be shy about it honey," Shelly poked at him, "Of course we'd be more than happy to attend."  
  
  
"Well wonderful," Sheridan forced a smile, "I mean this will be just the thing for us all to get to know one another better."  
  
  
"I can't wait," Shelly added with a bright smile before adding, "and as fun as this has been, well Antonio and I were just on our way out. I mean hey you both know what it's like to be lost in love right," she turned her attention to Antonio giving him a quick kiss, "You did promise to rock my world tonight, remember?"  
  
  
"How can I forget," Antonio felt a hint of a smile creeping over his lips as he looked to his brother and Sheridan, "I can't let my fiancée down, can I?"  
  
  
  
"Of course not," Luis stepped aside as Antonio and Shelly rose from the seat they were in, "but we'll see you this weekend, yes?"  
  
  
"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Shelly promised, "It was so nice to meet the both of you at long last."  
  
  
"Likewise," Sheridan replied with a soft smile as Shelly tugged on Antonio's arm.  
  
  
  
"Come on honey," she urged, "the night is calling."  
  
  
"Then we should answer," Antonio replied offering a nod towards Luis and Sheridan, "Good night."  
  
  
"Night," they offered as Antonio quickly followed Shelly out of the pub. As they hit the night outside, Shelly broke into a delighted laugh as Antonio shook his head at her.  
  
  
  
"What were you thinking?" he demanded still trying to make sense of the situation they'd just walked out of.  
  
  
  
"I did you a major favor tonight," Shelly explained simply facing him once again, "I hope you realize that."  
  
  
"You just told my brother that we're engaged," he shook his head at her, "Do you have any idea what my family is going to do with that knowledge? And worse to think that we could even pull this off…"  
  
  
"Relax," she assured him, "I'm one hell of an actress so that won't be a problem. I can learn to loosen you up Sparky and believe me you're going to need it by the time that party comes about."  
  
  
"Shelly, you aren't getting this," he interrupted shaking his head once again, "We just spun out the biggest fairy tale of my life and now we're going to have to face the consequences."  
  
  
"Antonio, look the way I see it, I did you a favor and now you can return the favor in helping me find my sister," she explained matter of fact, "We can each find a way to help each other."  
  
  
"You weren't helping back there," he argued with her, "Telling them that we were getting married only makes things worse."  
  
  
"Worse than them watching you in misery day in and day out because they took away the only hope you had for love," she countered skepticism laced in her tone, "Tell me you couldn't have been content with being that kind of sucker."  
  
  
"I wasn't being a sucker," he snapped back at her, "You don't know the entire situation."  
  
  
"Well then enlighten me," she suggested with a shrug of her shoulders, "Seeing as we'll be spending a lot of time together, I'm sure you can fill me in on the details."  
  
  
"Shelly, this isn't a game," he reminded her sharply, "This is my life you know…"  
  
  
"And it's mine too," she insisted as a sigh spilled over her lips, "Finding my sister is everything to me."  
  
  
"Then let me ask you, why me," he questioned softening his tone a bit as he noticed the way the moonlight washed over her features causing his breath to catch in his throat at the sight of her. Despite the fact he'd almost lost it when she'd lied to Luis and Sheridan, he couldn't help but find himself drawn to her. Still she'd opened him to a world of chaos and deception for no apparent reason…  
  
  
  
"Because tonight on the docks when you came to my aid, well you didn't seem to have a hidden agenda," Shelly explained simply, "and maybe I'm wrong about you, but my gut instinct tells me that you're someone I can trust."  
  
  
"Is that your gut instinct or the drinks talking," he challenged.  
  
  
  
"It's the direct result of months hunting down any trace of my sister," Shelly confessed with a sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Look it's complicated and I'm just afraid if I don't find her here, I'm not going to find her again."  
  
  
"Somehow I get the feeling there's more to this than a family reunion," he frowned as she turned away from him.  
  
  
  
"More than you know, but the truth is as much as I'd like to do this on my own, I can't and I'd really rather not do this with someone like that jerk on the docks."  
  
  
"And what makes you think I'm the man to help you?" he asked again.  
  
  
  
"Because you stepped into the situation and you took it upon yourself to help me out of the mess I was getting myself into," she sighed shaking her head, "Look it's been a long day and being new in town, well it's just nice to have a friendly face on my side. That's all."  
  
  
"Honestly," he raised a curious brow.  
  
  
  
"I don't just spend my nights kissing random strangers for the hell of it," she admitted with a tiny smile.  
  
  
  
"Hmm, well then I suppose this is the point in time where I should tell you that I'm not one to get wrapped up in casual things…" he motioned back towards the pub, "Back there wasn't how it is for me…"  
  
  
"Well then let me put it to you this way," she took a step in towards him, "You're helping me and I'm helping you," she waved her fingers between the both of them, "and this, well it isn't a casual thing. We're engaged you know."  
  
  
"Yes I realize that," he answered with a small smile, "which means we're going to have a lot of explaining to do starting with why I don't have a ring for you."  
  
  
"The ring is the least of our problems," she offered with a tiny laugh.  
  
  
  
"I suppose at this point in time, you could be right on that," he agreed, "So what now?"  
  
  
"Now you show me to a hotel and we'll call it a night," she decided with a shrug of her shoulders, "We can regroup in the morning."  
  
  
"What happened to coming home with me," he teased lightly, "I thought you were going to rock my world."  
  
  
  
"You couldn't handle it yet," she teased back at him, "but when the time is right, well we'll work on it."  
  
  
"I'm going to hold you to it, Shelly," he laughed lightly offering his arm out towards her as she readily accepted.  
  
  
  
"Good because I'm going to hold you to a lot more when destiny comes calling," she laughed lightly linked her arm in his as Antonio realized that tonight was the night that somehow was going to change the rest of his life. The hows and whys he wasn't quite sure of yet, but as he walked away from the pub arm in arm with Shelly, he was determined to figure it out one way or another. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Antonio awakened to the sounds of pounding on his front door as he looked to the clock blinking back at him during his slumber. Now as he hung over his bed, he let out a groan wishing that whomever had decided to pay him a visit would just turn around and go back to where they'd came from. However, as the tapping grew more persistent building a rhythm of it's own against the frantic ringing of the doorbell, he kicked his legs over his bed quickly pulling on a pair of sweat pants before heading to the door ready to give his visitor hell for bringing him from a very nice dream that had kept him quite content for the night hours.  
  
  
  
Now as the ringing continued, Antonio stopped himself for a moment allowing the unexpected arrival to take a back seat to the lingering images that had haunted him the previous night in bed. He hadn't had anything but misery on his mind and dreams of a reunion with Sheridan, but last night, oh last night was another story all together. His dreams had been laced with passion and an eroticism that he'd never admit to in the waking hours as Shelly Lambert painted beautiful pictures in his subconscious. Her kisses brought forth very welcome images to his dreams as he'd thought of nothing, but the way she'd felt in his arms and about the ways in which making love to her would undoubtedly be one of the must erotic experiences of his life.   
  
  
  
However, those thoughts would have to be put on hold as the assault on his front door wasn't disappearing with his lingering train of thought. With a huff, Antonio threw open the front door looking down at the woman standing before him as he barked out, "What is your problem?"  
  
  
"Well it's good to see you too, Sparky," Shelly greeted him pleasantly as she tried to get a glimpse beyond him into his home, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"  
  
  
"Shelly," Antonio took a step back opening the door wider as her face registered in his mind. He blinked once, twice, three times just to make sure that she was really there as she took a step forward flashing him a sexy smile.  
  
  
  
"You know it might help if you get out of the way," she winked up at him her dark eyes perusing the lines of his bare chest for a long moment before he shook his head and took a step back.  
  
  
  
"Duh," he muttered to himself extending his arm towards the interior of his home, "Come on in."  
  
  
"Why thank you," Shelly replied politely as she made her way into the center of his living room assessing the situation before her, "Nice place you have here, Sparky."  
  
  
"Shelly, I already told you, it's Antonio," he frowned closing the door behind her as he contemplated how to approach her arrival at his home. Deciding he'd play it cool but concerned, he stepped towards her folding his arms in front of his chest, "How did you find this place?"  
  
  
"I have my sources," Shelly answered simply tossing her dark hair over her shoulder as she gave him a sideways glance. Her eyes tapered off over his body as an appreciative smile lit up her features, "Though something tells me that you weren't expecting me, huh?"  
  
  
"Given that we've known each other for less than twenty four hours and you've managed to let my brother and his wife think that we're engaged, not to mention that we're practically strangers as you're staying at the hotel, well, no I didn't anticipate you showing up this morning," Antonio decided with a thick frown sweeping over his handsome features as he pondered the world of trouble she'd already gotten them into together, "Granted, I'm sure you've thought this out, or perhaps acting on impulse is your style on a day to day basis, but I was under the impression that when we met up again, I'd be the one finding you since I'm the one who took you to the hotel last night."  
  
  
"You could've tried the hotel," Shelly flashed him a bright grin as she set down the bag she'd had slung over her shoulder. She made herself comfortable in the chair beside her and she pulled out a small box placing it on top of the coffee table, "but you wouldn't have found me?"  
  
  
"And why is that," Antonio lifted a curious brow watching as she began to open the small box before her.  
  
  
  
"Because I'm not staying at the hotel anymore," she announced brightly opening the lid on the box as it's contents flooded the atmosphere filling his modest living room with the sweet aroma of the pastries she'd brought over with her. She glanced up from the box, turning her attention to him briefly, "Did you eat yet?"  
  
  
"I just woke up," Antonio stated simply watching her pull out a sticky looking danish out of the box before lifting it to her lips.  
  
  
  
"That explains a lot," she shrugged her shoulders taking a bite as a soft moan fell upon her lips, "Oh this is divine. You have to try some…"  
  
  
"Shelly, you can't just show up at my home like this in the middle of the morning and pretend that things are business as usual around here because we have some major talking to do," he blurted out circling around the coffee table to take a seat on the sofa beside the chair she'd settled in, "starting with what you did last night in front of Luis."  
  
  
"What I did?" she repeated with a haughty laugh, "Honey, the last time I checked we were in this together. After all I don't think I was the one with their tongue down my throat there," she paused contemplating her words, "well you know what I mean."  
  
  
"You kissed me," Antonio frowned watching her take another bite of her pastry, "You're the one who thought putting on a show for Sheridan and Luis was the best thing to do and on top of that you told the world that we were engaged."  
  
  
"And you went along with it," Shelly turned her attention to him once again. Carefully setting her pastry down on top of his coffee table, she met his green eyes seeing the apprehension building behind them as she shook her head, "You really are uptight, aren't you?"  
  
  
"I'm not uptight," he argued with her dismissively, "I just don't like the idea of lying to my family about something like this considering that you and I hardly know each other."  
  
  
"That's just a minor technicality and besides," she flashed him a sexy smile, "I figure we'll start working on that today once I get settled with you at the house."  
  
  
"Come again?" he blinked back at her, "What did you just say?"  
  
  
"Well we are engaged," she shrugged her shoulders reaching out for her pastry once again, "You really should try one of these. They are excellent."  
  
  
"Back up a second," Antonio looked to her with confused eyes as she seemed to be making herself comfortable in the chair beside him. He turned his attention to the bag she'd been carrying with her and suddenly it began to look more like a suitcase as his eyes snapped back towards her once again, "You don't think you're staying here now, do you?"  
  
  
"Do you have any idea how much that hotel charges," Shelly shook her head dismissively as she finished off her danish, "It should be a crime for them to expect the average working class person to dish out the fortune they demand for a less than mediocre room at best."  
  
  
"That's one of Harmony's nicest hotels," Antonio piped in watching as she inspected the box of goodies before selecting another danish.  
  
  
  
"If that's the best this town has to offer, then you all are in some serious need of help around this place," she nibbled on the treat before her turning her attention to him once again, "Please tell me you've got a pot of coffee brewing somewhere in this place because I could use a good coffee right about now."  
  
  
"I just woke up," Antonio repeated verbatim to before as she gave him a disapproving look.  
  
  
  
"What's your point," Shelly groaned inwardly rising from the chair as she looked around his home once again, "Just guide me to the kitchen and I'll get started on it."  
  
  
"How about we skip the coffee for now and you tell me why it is you think that you can't just come into my home and suddenly turn my world upside down," he demanded watching her prance around his living room heading towards his kitchen as she hummed a soft tune, "Shelly?"  
  
  
"Come on Sparky," she winked back at him, "I'm your fiancée, so that in itself entitles me to come over any time I want."  
  
  
"But we aren't really engaged," he threw his hands in the air watching her disappear into his kitchen as he turned his attention to her stuff once again. Suddenly the ideas he'd had about Shelly came to a screeching halt as he found her to be quite insufferable. He bent down to pick up her bag, ready to hand it to her as he showed her the door, but thought twice about it as he marched into the kitchen determined to set her straight, "Shelly, we need to talk about this."  
  
  
"So talk," she shrugged her shoulders as she started to go through his cabinets, "but make it quick because I have a very full day planned for the both of us you see."  
  
  
"You can't just come in here and start tearing my kitchen apart," he grumbled as she began to search through his cabinets.  
  
  
  
"Then make it easy on me and tell me where the coffee is," she urged as she continued to search through his cabinets.  
  
  
  
"The one to your right," he sighed running his fingers through his hair before continuing, "Shelly, I know that I agreed to help you find your sister, but I didn't agree on this. Our staying together wasn't part of the deal here…"  
  
  
"Yet you were more than willing to take me to bed last night," she spun around to face him lifting a daring brow, "You were ready to bring me back here to have sex with me, so I don't see what the problem is now that I'm here this morning."  
  
  
"We didn't have sex, Shelly," Antonio pointed out firmly crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
  
  
  
"Oh, so now it's not okay for me to be here because we didn't have sex," she threw her words back at him shaking her head back at him disapprovingly, "I see how it is Sparky. If a girl doesn't put out, then she's not worth a morning of good conversation and a cup of coffee."  
  
  
"I didn't say that," Antonio frowned deeply watching her make herself home in his kitchen, "You're twisting my words."  
  
  
"Or maybe you're implying what I'm saying and you're very put off by the fact that I blew you off last night," Shelly moved over to the coffee pot filling it eagerly as Antonio stepped in closer to her, "Maybe this is all about that pent up sexual frustration that's been eating away at you since Sheridan married Luis. I mean clearly you weren't doing well on your own getting over the situation, so maybe your lashing out at me is your way of dealing with the fact that your brother was sleeping with the woman you loved."  
  
  
"My so called lashing out at you is stemmed from the fact that I just met you and now you're working around my kitchen like we've been…" he struggled for the words as frustration mounted, "like we're…"  
  
  
"Engaged?" she suggested with a hint of a smile, "Well isn't that what your family believes?"  
  
  
"Because you told the lie that got me in over my head," Antonio reminded her stepping in closer to her, "That in itself is something that I'm not going to be able to dig my way out of without looking more like a jerk than I already have."  
  
  
"Antonio, I've done you a favor and clearly you aren't nearly as appreciative of it as I thought you would be," she spun around to face him finding herself face to face with him as a breath caught in her throat. She could easily reach out and touch him, but despite her initial reaction to him, she refrained keeping the distance between them.  
  
  
  
"Shelly, you've turned my world upside down," Antonio muttered with obvious discontent, "I don't think things can get more twisted than that at the moment."  
  
  
"You never know," Shelly shrugged her shoulders simply, "I mean hey if the worst thing that happens to you is a beautiful woman pretends to be the love of your life, then you really don't have a thing to worry about."  
  
  
"Pretending isn't my style," he explained leaning in towards her placing his hands on the counter top beside her inadvertently caging her beneath him as he tried to reason with her, "I'm not into deceptions and manipulations."  
  
  
"Aren't you," Shelly motioned towards his arms, "I mean isn't that what you're trying to do with me right now?"  
  
  
  
"Come again," he blinked back in confusion.  
  
  
  
"I mean isn't this," she questioned sliding her index finger over his forearm feeling his skin respond to her almost immediately as a breath escaped her full, luscious lips, "about last night ending on a sour note rather than your being angry with me? Come to think of it, you're not really angry about my being here this morning, but more so you're upset because I wasn't here last night."  
  
  
"You couldn't be any more delusional about that," Antonio answered tightly regaining the strength to walk away from her as he pushed his hands off of the counter trying to ignore the intoxicating fragrance of her perfume, "I could care less about that."  
  
  
"Liar," Shelly eyed him intently a smile touching over the corners of her lips, "You were dreaming about me last night, weren't you?"  
  
  
"Hardly," he shook his head taking in a breath as he turned to face her once again, "truth be told I didn't sleep very well because I was trying to find a way to get out of this mess you'd started with Luis. I can't very well go to this family gathering pretending that you are the woman I'm going to marry, not when it won't be believable."  
  
  
"Now see this is where you and I are at a difference of opinion," Shelly turned her attention to the brewing coffee once again, "I mean we have a certain sense of chemistry and if your brother could buy into it, then we won't have a problem with the rest of your family."  
  
  
"Shelly, there is a lot of family to convince and Luis, well he's just wanting me to be as far away from Sheridan as possible so for him, well he doesn't care who I'm with as long as I'm not near her. Convincing him was easy, but convincing Theresa or even my mother is all together a different tale."  
  
  
"How hard can it be?" Shelly shrugged with a hint of a smile as she continued to investigate the kitchen cabinets seeking out a coffee mug, "I mean this should be easy. You shouldn't waste your time sweating the small stuff…"  
  
  
"Shelly, you haven't met my mother," Antonio explained matter of fact thinking about Pilar's presence in his life, "She's a very determined and perceptive woman. She's going to take one look at us and see that this engagement is a hoax."  
  
  
"No she won't," Shelly argued with him before adding brightly, "I mean hey with the way you keep yelling at me we're already coming across as the typical married couple."  
  
  
"I'm not yelling at you," he retorted with a groan.  
  
  
  
"Yes, you are but for now I'll let you get away with it since we're still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship, Sparky," Shelly decided selecting a mug from Antonio's various styles before her.  
  
  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you that it's not Sparky, but…" his words were brought to a surprising halt as the doorbell began to ring once again. Throwing his hands up in the air, he let out a groan, "Well this is just wonderful. I wonder who could be on their way in now. Something you want to tell me? Like maybe you're bringing a few friends along with you to crash at my place?"  
  
  
"Nope, the only friend I have in town is you, so this time it's not me," Shelly offered brightly as Antonio turned to leave the kitchen giving her one last look.  
  
  
  
"Don't you go anywhere," he warned throwing her one last cautionary look before heading out to greet his company.  
  
  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it," Shelly mused with a smile hearing the door close behind her as she finished pouring herself a mug of coffee. Somehow she was already getting the feeling that Harmony might be a place that she'd enjoy very much. If Antonio was a prelude of things to come, then maybe just maybe this place would be the place that she was looking for after all. Maybe this time she'd find everything that was missing from her life…including her sister.  
  
*******************  
  
Antonio walked over to his front door opening it as he contemplated ways to work through this situation with Shelly, but as he found his brother Miguel standing before him, surprise touched over his lips and his frown faded. "Miguel, what are you doing here?"  
  
  
"Well hello to you too," Miguel gave him a strange look, "You know that's some greeting there, Antonio."  
  
  
"I'm sorry," Antonio apologized opening the door further, "Would you like to come inside?"  
  
  
"Actually," Miguel nodded, "if you don't mind."  
  
  
"Not at all," Antonio decided glancing over towards the kitchen hoping that Shelly would take his words under advisement as he closed the front door turning his attention to his younger brother, "What can I do for you this morning?"  
  
  
"Honestly, I don't know if you can do anything," Miguel sighed as he slumped down into the sofa, "but the truth his I've had a lot on my mind lately and with Luis and Sheridan being away and Theresa doing her thing, well you know how mama is when something is going down. I just don't want to worry her unnecessarily…"  
  
  
"Is something wrong with my niece," Antonio questioned concerned as he approached his brother, "Did something happen?"  
  
  
Miguel shook his head simply, "No it isn't about that. It's just that lately there's been so much confusion and…"  
  
  
"It can't be easy," Antonio offered supportively offering a sympathetic ear to his brother, "though I'm sure that somehow things will work themselves out."  
  
  
"Same old optimism, huh," Miguel smiled weakly, "I wish I had your strength in that department."  
  
  
"I don't think it's so much of a strength as it's more of a philosophy and maybe given the way my life has been I shouldn't be giving it, but still…" Antonio began.  
  
  
  
"You don't give yourself nearly enough credit you know," Miguel smiled back at him, "I mean sure there's a lot that we all missed together in those years you were away, but now, well you know it's time for us all to start over again."  
  
  
"Hey, wasn't I supposed to be offering up the pep talk," Antonio teased, "How did this come back to me?"  
  
  
"Funny thing," Miguel added, "I was starting to question the same thing," he replied hearing a crashing sound come from Antonio's kitchen as he turned his eyes towards the source of the sound, "What was that?"  
  
  
"That was," Antonio thought quickly, "Well you know how old houses can be sometimes. This one is new to me, but it has it's own history with quirks and life."  
  
  
"I guess I never took the time to notice the last time I was here, but I suppose that could be it," Miguel shrugged contemplating his brother's words as the sound continued, "Antonio, are you sure there's nothing in there exploding?"  
  
  
"Not to my knowledge," Antonio rose from where he'd been seated, "If you'll just give me a second…"  
  
  
"Of course," Miguel nodded accordingly as Antonio rushed off to the kitchen determined to silence Shelly for the time being.  
  
  
  
Antonio reached for the door pushing it open as he silently cursed himself for allowing Shelly to force her way into his life. Certainly she'd been entertaining last night, but this morning, well this morning she was most certainly a hassle he could just as soon do without. Now as he entered the kitchen ready to set her straight, he reminded himself to keep his voice down as the last thing he wanted was to let Miguel know of the mess he'd gotten into.  
  
  
  
"Shelly listen," Antonio began looking around his kitchen as he noticed it was empty. A frown curled over his lips as he looked around seeking her out, but other than the coffee pot still turned on before him, there were no obvious signs of her. He walked to the back door seeing it was still locked as a curious expression touched over his features, "What the…" he questioned as he heard the sounds of laughter coming from the other room. Spinning on his heel, he turned out towards the living room pushing the kitchen door open as he found Shelly on the sofa beside Miguel a smile on her features as she held something in her hand.  
  
  
  
"Oh she's beautiful," Shelly smiled brightly tossing her hair back behind her shoulder, "You must be so proud."  
  
  
"My daughter means the world to me," Miguel confessed proudly, "For a while there I wasn't sure how I would feel about things, but now in having her in this world, well, there's just something to be said about the way my little girl looks at me with her big eyes like I'm the most wonderful father in the universe."  
  
  
"That's probably because to her you are," Shelly offered supportively as her dark eyes turned up towards Antonio and a wide smile pressed over her features, "There you are. Miguel and I were just wondering what all the commotion was back in the kitchen."  
  
  
"I assumed you knew," Antonio replied tightly seeing the way in which Shelly had made herself comfortable with his younger brother.  
  
  
  
"I just heard the noise and I came in here to see what was going on when I ran into Miguel," Shelly nodded towards him brightly, "You never mentioned that there were so many handsome men in your family."  
  
  
"Oh I can see why Antonio keeps you around," Miguel teased back with a smile, "then again if I wasn't already taken, he might be in the running for some fierce competition."  
  
  
"Like hell I would," Antonio rumbled with an air of seriousness seeing the obvious ways Shelly had worked on making an impression with his family, "I don't think that Shelly…"  
  
  
"I only have eyes for Antonio," Shelly rose from the sofa reaching out to her 'fiancé' curling her arms around him and offering a squeeze, "That's what he's trying to say and you know he can't help but have a protective side about him considering…"  
  
  
"I can't say I blame him," Miguel rose from the sofa, "though I should probably get going considering I'm sure you have a busy morning together."  
  
  
"So soon," Antonio frowned watching his brother step towards the front door, "but you just got here."  
  
  
"I'm feeling much better now," Miguel offered up a knowing wink in Shelly's direction, "Thanks for the talk."  
  
  
"Anytime," Shelly waved at him, "It was my pleasure."  
  
  
"Thanks again and hey, I can't wait to see you both at the party this weekend," Miguel added hopefully, "then you can see my little princess up close and personal."  
  
  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Shelly promised with a bright smile as Miguel threw out one last wave at the both of them before stepping out of Antonio's home.  
  
  
  
As soon as the door closed Antonio turned his attention to the woman who had her arms draped around him. He found himself lingering from his feelings of frustration with her as the warmth of her embrace pressed in over his chest. Her dark eyes fluttered up towards him and her smile sent a warmth shooting straight through him as she tipped up on her toes a bit more balancing her weight against him as her fingers teased over the nape of his neck tickling over the small hairs on the back of his head.  
  
  
  
"I'd have to say that went well," she boasted proudly keeping herself close to him as he was unable to resist the urge to slink his arm around her in his attempt to hold her fully. She reciprocated the gesture sliding her arms around his strong contours as she lifted her chin up towards him.  
  
  
  
"You're absolutely insane," he blurted out finding himself drawn to her in spite of himself as his fingers brushed gently over her soft skin.  
  
  
  
"You need a little insanity in your life," Shelly explained fluttering her eyelashes at him as his fingers tapered off into her dark tresses as he held her. "I can see that now."  
  
  
"I can see that you're going to be a lot of trouble," he confessed in a smooth tone as his arm curled her in closer against him savoring the softness of her curves. He lowered his head a bit, feeling her perfume send him on sensory overload as he squeezed her once again pulling her up off her toes into his arms fully with one swift movement.  
  
  
  
"I get the feeling that you're going to love my kind of trouble," she murmured her breath cascading over his lips as she braced herself against him using her arms around his shoulders for support as a smile tickled over her lips.  
  
  
  
"I think I'm starting to," Antonio leaned forward ready to taste those scrumptious, tempting lips of hers once again as flashes of his dreams flooded over him. Now with the warmth of her well within his reach, he began to ponder the idea of putting those dreams to life as a lazy smile touched over his features. Inching towards her, he watched her close her eyes in anticipatory promise of things to come between them, but as his mouth skimmed over hers, Shelly shifted in his arms catching him off guard as he released her sending to her feet once again.  
  
  
  
"I think…" she stammered a bit as she took a step away from him, "I think I should probably go check on the coffee and you should probably get dressed. Then we can talk about the day ahead of us," she mumbled tearing her eyes away from him before running off into the kitchen again leaving him wondering where the about face came from with her.   
  
  
  
Antonio watched the door swing to a close behind her as he shook his head realizing that Shelly Lambert was proving to be far more of a mystery than he'd ever imagined as the memory of holding her was now fresh on his mind. Granted she'd seemed a bit extreme in her logic and reasoning, but as he thought to how Miguel had taken to her almost immediately, he began to wonder if perhaps fate had other plans for him. Maybe finding Shelly was the start of something new and different and maybe just maybe their helping one another was just the beginning. With that thought in mind, he headed back to his bedroom eager to face the surprises that a day with Shelly might have in store for him. 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
Shelly stood over the kitchen sink drawing in a nervous breath as the scene with Antonio replayed again and again in her mind. Knowing full well that her face was flushed after that moment between them, she silently cursed herself for playing things up as she had. What was she thinking? This was about finding Eve and bringing her to safety again…not about playing around with some handsome stranger. Sure, the thought about losing herself in Antonio had crossed her mind shamelessly over and over again after their initial meeting, but still she had a goal to reach and this wasn't helping. Still…as her thoughts lingered back to the way Antonio looked at her, the way his arms felt wrapped around her…well it was enough to make a woman think twice about keeping focused, but still if she wasn't focused, she wouldn't find Eve and that simply wouldn't do.  
  
  
  
"So now where were we," Antonio's voice beckoned her from her thoughts as she spun around to find him standing behind her--this time fully dressed much to her own personal dismay. She stood taller tossing her long, dark hair over her shoulder pretending not to notice how handsome he was or how good he smelled as he stepped in closer towards her. His brow arched with curiosity as she remained silent, "Care to explain to me exactly what you think is going on here today?"  
  
  
"I'm moving in," Shelly stated matter of fact before turning her attention to the dish towel that lay on the counter beside her. She began to dry the dishes she'd taken the liberty of washing while he'd been changing. "As you can see I'm clearly earning my keep."  
  
  
"This isn't about earning your keep," he reached out to her touching her arm, his fingers curling over it's slender length as Shelly felt a shiver race inside of her. She closed her eyes silently cursing herself for allowing herself to be affected by the nearness of him as he leaned in closer to her his breath striking against the side of her neck as he lowered his voice a bit.  
  
  
  
"Oh," she managed to let out forcing her tone to remain even as his finger tips brushed over her skin, "then what is this about?"  
  
  
"You tell me," his voice challenged with a hint of flirty temptation as she took in one lingering breath before turning around to face him.  
  
  
  
"I already told you that your family would find my living here to be much more believable than my being stuck at a hotel," Shelly reminded him harshly as she leaned back against the sink, "and you have to agree that things are going well so far."  
  
  
"That's debatable," Antonio remarked searching her dark eyes, "but the real question is how did you know where to find me?"  
  
  
"I asked around," she shrugged her shoulders simply hoping to come across as casual, "This is a small town and small towns do talk you know."  
  
  
"I'm well aware of the gossip that goes around in Harmony," he nodded appropriately, "but I must confess that I'm not used to being a part of that gossip."  
  
  
"Times are changing," she quipped with a confident smile despite the fact her insides were turning into Jell-O at the nearness of him, "besides we had a deal. I help you and you help me."  
  
  
"Ah yes, back to our arrangement," Antonio nodded appropriately, "You were going to help me regain some pride in your deceptions and you wanted me to help you find your sister, which gets back to my initial question of why me?"  
  
  
"Why not you," she slid out of his reach crossing the kitchen as she tried to find something to busy herself with, "I mean you seem like a nice enough guy and I could use one of those right now."  
  
  
"You don't know the first thing about me," Antonio reminded her simply, "and that in itself says something about you."  
  
  
"How so," she spun around to face him curiosity brewing over her.  
  
  
  
"Well for starters, you have made yourself comfortable in my home without my permission and you seem to think I'm the man who can help you here," Antonio pointed out, "and while you're eager to let the world think we're engaged, we know absolutely nothing about one another. I don't know the first thing about you."  
  
  
"You know I'm a great kisser," she winked at him unable to fight the playfulness building up inside of her.  
  
  
  
"Shelly, that's not what I mean," he reminded her as she thought she saw the first flicker of a blush rise over his handsome features, "You know what I'm talking about."  
  
  
"Oh alright," she frowned slumping down into a chair at his kitchen table, "what do you want to know?"  
  
  
"For starters what you're really doing here," Antonio walked towards the table taking a chair across from her.  
  
  
  
"I already told you. I'm looking for my sister."  
  
  
"I got that much, but why are you looking for your sister," he questioned further.  
  
  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" she gave him a pointed look.  
  
  
  
"No, not really. All I know is that you hired some low life to help you find your missing sister, but when that didn't work out, you latched onto me."  
  
  
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Shelly paused contemplating her words for a moment, "Unless you really don't want to be helping me."  
  
  
"I never said that," he frowned suddenly, "but what I don't understand is why you decided my help was the best there was."  
  
  
"We already discussed that last night," Shelly pointed out, "I told you I was looking for an honest kind of guy to help me with this as this isn't something I want some sleaze ball working on."  
  
  
"I understand that," he offered slumping down in his chair, "but I don't understand why you'd go to such lengths to enlist my help."  
  
  
"I'm doing you a favor, Sparky," she insisted reaching across the table to take his hand, "while I know you're trying desperately to move past your heartbreak, it is written all over you and if you don't let me do this for you, you're always going to be miserable."  
  
  
"I didn't ask for an invitation out of the world of misery," Antonio pointed out with a frown, "It's not like this is really going to change anything."  
  
  
"You've already had a world of excitement since my arrival and as you pointed out you're also becoming the talk of the town," Shelly reminded him brightly, "What else do you need to see that things are changing?"  
  
  
"Shelly, this isn't going to fly with the rest of my family. My mother and my sister are never going to buy the story that I have a hidden fiancée here," he glanced down to her finger tips over his hand, "and beyond that, I don't know the first thing about you other than your name…"  
  
  
"And that I enjoy dancing especially with you and about kissing…"  
  
  
  
"Yes, I know you're one hell of a kisser, but there has to be more than that," he explained seriously.  
  
  
  
"Just what did you have in mind exactly," she questioned suggestively deciding to play with him a bit as her index finger swept over the base of his palm lightly.  
  
  
  
"Not that," he stiffened against her touch catching onto her innuendo laced words, "at least not yet…"  
  
  
"So you're hoping for something later than," Shelly arched a curious brow noting the expression that washed over his features as a glimmer of hope rushed through her. So, he really had thought about the two of them together as well. Score one point for her.  
  
  
  
"That's irrelevant to this conversation we're having now," Antonio scoffed refusing to let the conversation dwindle into other things, "What I want right now is for you to start telling me the truth and we'll work from that."  
  
  
"Alright, what do you want to know," she sighed in resignation leaning back in her chair realizing that it was about to become business as usual between them.  
  
  
  
"Why is your sister missing," Antonio blurted out hoping to keep the conversation focused between them as he watched her closely.  
  
  
  
"If I knew the answer to that question, then I wouldn't be here right now," Shelly admitted before adding, "the truth is that Eve and I didn't have the best of relationships over the recent years. We got into a dispute about something that I'd rather not get into at the moment with you and to make a long story short I hadn't heard from her in a couple of years."  
  
  
"Hence your need to reconnect?" he raised a curious brow.  
  
  
  
"Something along those lines," she nodded simply, "and when I went looking for her back in Port Charles, well things just didn't add up."  
  
  
"How so," he leaned back in his chair eyeing her closely.  
  
  
  
"Well for starters," she ran her fingers through her hair as she took in a breath, "word around town was that she'd died in a car accident."  
  
  
"Come again," Antonio blinked back at her, "How is that possible if you're here in Harmony looking for her?"  
  
  
"Well, the more I started to research Eve's supposed accident, I found that there were a lot of inconsistencies about it. First of all the whole story about her being married, well I just couldn't believe that Eve would've willingly married the bozo that the town said was her husband. Granted my sister was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't on the top of that list and that's exactly what she would've had to be in order to have married him."  
  
  
"Sounds like you had no love lost for your brother-in-law," Antonio noted with a teasing smile.  
  
  
  
"According to the gossip in Port Charles, he had a history of cheating on her, so no, I didn't take too kindly to the son of a bitch," Shelly blatantly announced with a shudder, "Of course in knowing that, I knew that he couldn't have possibly been the kind of man my sister would want to stay married to if she'd even gone that far with him."  
  
  
"So did you talk to her husband?"  
  
  
"That's the thing," Shelly frowned, "He disappeared. Rumors were flying around about the hows and whys of the situation, but one day he just up and vanished and no one knew anything about it."  
  
  
"Sounds mysterious in itself."  
  
  
"The plot thickens though," Shelly explained eagerly, "You see my sister had a friend in Port Charles--a man named Chris Ramsey. They lived together for a while and when Eve and I were talking to one another I got the distinct impression that Chris was someone she trusted and valued, but the thing is, well when I went to talk to him, he was missing as well."  
  
  
"So you think that Chris and your sister's husband are somehow connected?" Antonio questioned curiously as she shook her head.  
  
  
  
"No, from what I heard they hated each other and then well, after my trip to Port Charles, I received this in the mail," she reached into her pocket withdrawing the envelope she'd had inside. She extended it out towards Antonio letting him take a look at it as she explained further, "It's from Eve and if you'll look at the postmark, well you'll see that it was from just a few months ago sent out from a town just north of here."  
  
  
"I can see that," he skimmed over the letter from Shelly's sister, "but are you sure this is from her?"  
  
  
"It's her handwriting and well, if you read halfway down the page, some of the things she's talking about are recent events. She's also asking me to forgive her for the fight we had and she's talking about how sorry she is for leaving things undone between us and how she hopes one day we'll have a second chance…" she rose from her chair walking around the table as she looked over Antonio's shoulder, "See right there…"  
  
  
"I see it," he nodded before turning his eyes up towards her taking a moment to memorize her features as the first hints of her perfume crashed over him bringing about an instant distraction as he struggled for focus, "but if this letter is all you have to go on…"  
  
  
"No, there's more," Shelly explained holding her finger up for a moment before taking off into the other room. A moment later she returned with an old newspaper article in hand, "Take a look at this."  
  
  
Antonio's eyes fell upon the paper to the faces before him. Shelly leaned over him again pointing to the face before him as she explained, "This is Chris Ramsey and here he's with this man, but when I look closer," she motioned to the shadowed faces behind the two men, "I know that's my sister."  
  
  
"Shelly, can you be sure," Antonio strained to get a better look at the image before him, "I mean there are so many…"  
  
  
"Do you have a magnifying glass?" she questioned eagerly as he looked up at her.  
  
  
  
"Over there," he motioned to the drawer across the way as she stepped to retrieve it. He turned his attention to the clipping once again instantly recognizing the face beside Chris Ramsey as none other than Julian Crane.  
  
  
  
"Okay look," Shelly returned handing him the magnifying glass, "take a good look at that."  
  
  
"Shelly I…" Antonio reluctantly took the magnifying glass to make her happy as his eyes fell upon the page once again. Upon taking a closer look, he found she was staring right back at him in print. "It's you."  
  
  
"No, it's not," Shelly argued with him, "It's Eve and she was here in Harmony less than a month ago for that party the Cranes were having. If I can track down Julian Crane and have a meeting with him somehow then I'll get one step closer to finding my sister. However, I'm learning that getting instant access to the Crane family isn't the easiest thing in the world to do."  
  
  
"It's easier than you'd imagine," Antonio turned to face her once again as his eyes lifted up towards her.  
  
  
  
"How do you figure?"   
  
  
  
"Well for starters, you've already encountered a Crane already," Antonio explained simply.  
  
  
  
"No, I haven't," she argued with him, "In fact the way I see it, I'm going to have to find a way to get to this Julian character and see exactly what Chris was doing with him…"  
  
  
"Shelly, I know how we can do that," he explained reaching out to her, "and while you're not listening, the truth is you've already met a Crane."  
  
  
"Antonio…" she frowned as he rose from his chair.  
  
  
  
"Shelly, Sheridan is a Crane," Antonio blurted out simply.  
  
  
  
"What?" she blinked back at him, "You mean your ex is…?"  
  
  
"A member of the Crane family," he nodded in response, "Granted, she's not like the rest of them in a great many ways, but she's a Crane none the less."  
  
  
"Do you think she can help us get access to Julian?" Shelly questioned eagerly.  
  
  
  
"He's not exactly her favorite person in the world, but she might be willing to help considering you are my fiancée," Antonio pointed out thinking over the situation, "Granted I don't know what kind of help she'll be, but given that she's got a good heart if she knew what you were looking for, I'm sure that she'd be able to offer her assistance and despite my reservations about the situation, well Luis is a police officer."  
  
  
"No cops," Shelly blurted out almost immediately upon the suggestion, "There's no way I'm bringing any of them into this."  
  
  
"Why not," he paused seeing the look upon her features, "Shelly, what aren't you telling me?"  
  
  
"I'd just prefer for us to do things our own way without them screwing things up for us," she offered seeing the doubtful expression on his features.  
  
  
  
"Shelly," his voice rumbled with disbelief as she finally let out a reluctant groan.  
  
  
  
"Oh alright," she muttered, "the truth is that I don't want the police involved because they don't take too kindly to me."  
  
  
  
"Any why is that?"  
  
  
"Because I used to be one of them myself," Shelly confessed with a sigh, "I was a cop before I started looking for my sister."  
  
  
"Really?" Antonio's eyes widened in surprise as he gave her a brief once over, "That explains a lot. Although if you're an ex-cop, then why were you slumming with a private investigator like you were with last night?"  
  
  
"Because I left my department on bad terms," she saw the concern flash over his features, "and no it's not what you're thinking. My commanding officer got a little fresh with me to put it politely and I wound up breaking his jaw in about five places," she revealed watching him wince upon her words, "Truth be told I didn't even know that a jaw could break like that, but in the end I was the one who got disciplined as it was a boy's club so I decided that I wouldn't deal with that kind ever again."  
  
  
"I don't think Luis would even think to question that," Antonio began thinking over her confession.  
  
  
  
"Even so, I don't like the guy," Shelly frowned deeply, "I know he's your brother and all, but considering he's already suspicious of us and our relationship, I really don't want him involved in this."  
  
  
  
"We might have a problem then because I don't think Sheridan will keep something like this from him…not knowing what the real story is."  
  
  
"Then we won't tell Sheridan the real story. We'll just find a way to get the answers on our own," she decided firmly, "What do you say?"  
  
  
  
"I say you're going to land me in some serious trouble here," Antonio decided after a moment's contemplation, "and considering that you're clearly equipped with the skills do to this on your own, well I don't understand why you need me."  
  
  
"Isn't it painfully obvious," she reached out to him brushing her fingers against his shoulder, "we need each other right about now."  
  
  
"Do we?" he lifted a curious brow turning to face her fully as he glanced down to her hand upon him.  
  
  
  
"You tell me," she urged leaning up on her toes as she felt his arms slide in around her waist almost immediately pulling her in against him in a surprising motion.  
  
  
  
"I think you're very tempting," Antonio admitted unable to resist the urge to keep her in his arms as she looked up to him with surprised eyes.  
  
  
  
"Sometimes they say that the best thing to do with temptation is to give in to it," Shelly blurted out immediately forgetting her ideas about finding Eve, about discovering more about the infamous Julian Crane as Antonio's strong arms wrapped around her more securely. She felt the warmth of his breath fall upon her face causing a shiver to race over her already excited skin. She felt him brush his thumb over her cheek, easing his fingers into her hair as he held her tighter.  
  
  
  
"I thought we were keeping this strictly business," he whispered leaning in towards her as her pulse raced in her chest at the nearness of him.  
  
  
  
"There's a thin line between business and pleasure," she confided tapering her fingers off over the center of his chest as she tried to remember how they'd even come to their embrace after such serious talk about Eve. Still as his touch beckoned her, she tilted her head up towards him savoring the ease at which him holding her came to the both of them.  
  
  
  
"I don't know how much help I'll be to you if we cross over that line together," Antonio admitted in a sexy sigh.  
  
  
  
"We are supposed to be engaged you know," Shelly pointed out simply with a shivering inhale as she leaned back against the table feeling the warmth of her over him.  
  
  
  
"So we should probably do something about this physical attraction thing, then huh?" he questioned before dropping light kisses upon her luscious lips.  
  
  
  
"Most definitely," she nodded eagerly, her hands pressing over the front of his shirt decidedly, "I mean it can't hurt to explore it a little bit, could it?"  
  
  
"What about your plans for us today," he questioned easing his finger tips over her spine as they tapered off beneath the bottom of her shirt, feeling the warmth of her skin burning him like a wildfire as an immediate surge of desire flooded over him.  
  
  
  
"They did involve us getting to know one another better," Shelly confessed capturing his lips urgently as she began to pull open his shirt a bit, "and what better way to do that then well," a hint of a mischievous smile slipped over her lips, "sex."  
  
  
  
"Since you put it that way," Antonio teased back sliding the her shirt up over her body as she raised her arms allowing him to discard it before he collected her once again devouring her lips in a hungry kiss.  
  
  
  
"I knew you'd see things my way," Shelly purred against his mouth as she felt him urging her back onto the table top. She wrapped herself around him feeling him hoist her up in his arms before she was seated before him. Her eyes met his seeing the desire reflected in him as she eased his shirt down over his shoulders wanting nothing more than to explore the contours of the perfect chest that flooded her mind since her arrival earlier this morning. She leaned forward pressing feathery light kisses over the muscled contours of his body as his fingers threaded through her hair.  
  
  
  
"This is crazy," he breathed as he pulled her lips to his in an urgent kiss.  
  
  
  
"Do you want to stop," she questioned wrapping her arms around him fully as his hands crushed her against him.  
  
  
  
"God no," he admitted pushing her in over the table as she pulled him down with her lavishing him with kiss after hungry kiss. His mouth eased over her silken skin, tasting the fire burning beneath her as his lips danced over her shoulder, across her collar bone, back to her sensual mouth again as her nails scratched lightly over his back. The moment was too good to be true, too powerful to be happening to him, he tried to reason as he realized he'd wanted nothing more than to be with this woman who'd uprooted his life and turned his world upside down. Kissing her was like heaven and being in this moment ready to be with her in every sense of the word was mind blowing, but before Antonio could completely absorb himself in the ultimate fantasy that Shelly offered, a squeal rose through his kitchen breaking through the moment.  
  
  
  
"Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald," rang through the kitchen as he almost immediately pulled away from Shelly.  
  
  
  
"Mom," he gasped surprised to find his mother standing in the doorway as her horrified eyes took in the scene before her.  
  
  
  
"What in the world are you doing," she questioned as she hugged little Ethan in her arms turning her grandson away from the scene before her. "Did you forget about our plans for lunch?"  
  
  
"Mom I…" he drew in a nervous breath trying to still the furious pounding of his heart as he looked to Shelly, who seemed completely mortified as she hopped off of the table seeking out her shirt. "I didn't realize that was today…"  
  
  
  
"Obviously," she gave him an expectant look as her eyes fell upon Shelly once again.  
  
  
  
"Look," Antonio began as he silently cursed himself for not thinking to lock the front door. This was the last thing he'd wanted his mother to walk in upon and now as Shelly remained behind him, he took in a breath knowing that he was probably going to burn in hell for his deceptions, but still that was the only way to rectify the situation, "Mom, I'd like you to meet Shelly, my fiancée."  
  
  
"Your fiancée?" Pilar's eyes widened in surprise as a gasp fell from her lips.  
  
  
  
"It's a pleasure meeting you. Antonio's told me so much about you," Shelly spoke up, her face red with embarrassment as she suddenly realized that judging by the expression on Pilar's features that winning her over was not going to be as easy as it was with Miguel. Suddenly for the first time she wondered if she was in over her head as the thought of Antonio's mother finding them together completely horrified her and judging by Pilar's reaction to her, the feeling was clearly mutual which could only mean trouble. 


End file.
